Improvement in circular-saw milifl



To 'whom it Imay concern:

tluird states @anni domine.'

WILLIAMy M. FERRY, 0F GRAND HAVEN, MICHIGAN.

Letzer-8 Patent No. 95,889, dated october 1o, 12369.

IMPROVEMENT IN CIRCULAR-SAW MILLS.

The Schedule referred to in than Letten Patent and making part of-the same.

Be it kown that I, WILLIAM M. Fanny, of Grand Haven, in the county of Ottawa, and State of Michigan, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Saw-Mills; and I do declare that the following is a true and accurate description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, and being apart of thisA Figure 4 is a cross-section, taken on thcline :c x, in

fig. 2;

Figure 5 is a plan of the bridle and inclined-plane boxes, in which the back wheels run;

Figure (i, Sheet 3, is a plan of the dial-wheel;

Figure 7 is a plan of the circumference of the same; and

Figure S is a diagram, showing the method of laying oit' the pin-holes in the periphery of the dial-wheel, so as to throw the head-block forward the various distances required. Y

Similar letters of reference indicate like parts in each figure.

The nature of this invention relates to an improved construct-ion of circular-saw mills.

vIt consists,

First, in the employment of a continuously straight head-block, (except where recessed for the reception of the sliding holding-down dogs, as hereinafter specified,) to serve as a guide, against which the log or cant may be placed and firmly held, to prevent any tendency ot' said log or cant to spring or waver under the action of the saw, stationary dogs being provided at the lower edge of the head-block, to enter and hold the lower edge ofthe' cant- Second, 'in the construction and arrangement of holding-down dogs, sliding in vertical recesses in the face ot' the lhead-block, and operated in such manner that they may be raised simultaneously, and, when released, will automatically enter the upper edge of the cant, independently of each other, so that the face of the cant will be firmly held. against the head-block, whether the cant be straight or tapered.

Third, iu the employment of one or more springs, v

to prevent the throw of the head-block toward the saw, more than the required distance, as the log or cant becomes lighter, which throw the head-block has a tendency to make when-the setting forward is effected, either by hand or automatically. As the headblock moves with a quick impulse, the spring arrests it.

Fourth, in the peculiar arrangement of the boxes' on the back side of the carriage, having inclined slot-s, in which the journals of the wheels of that side rotate and travel, so that when the carriage is feeding up to the saw, itis level, and in gigging back, the back side of the carriage is depressed, causing the face ofthe cant to diverge from the saw, preventing the cant from rnbbing against thc saw, to be marred by it, and dulling the saw, by taking off the outer sharp corners of its teeth.

Fifth, in the employment of a dial-wheel for regulating the thickness of lumber to be cut, in combination with a pinion of a definite size, at its pitch-line, that will space olf the different thicknesses of lumber required, and come out even, leaving the last board of the same thickness as the others, aahereinafter more fully shown and set forth. y

In the drawings- A represent proper ways on the mill-Hoor, upon which travels the carriage B, said carriage being supported on the log-side by wheels a, whose journals rotate in ordinary bearings under the sill, and on the -back side by similar wheels, af, whose journals rotate in the bearings b, fig. 3, which bearings consist of a half boxat either end of an inclined plano.

The journals of the' wheels a' project through the boxes b, into bearings formed ina metallic frame or bridle, b', fig. 5, which extends .around both of the wheels a?, and, having them journalled in it, insures their equal and simultaneous action.

ln feeding up to the saw, the carriage is drawn up on the axles of the wheels a', until said aigles strike the box in the lower end. of the inclined plane, as shown in fig. 3, when the carriage is level, and a. board may be cut from the face of the cant, which, of course, must then bel vertical.v

In gigging back, after a cut, the Wheels a', obeying natiual laws, will take the higher end of the inclined plane, when the back edge of the carriage will drop, causing a divergence of the log-side of the carriage from the saw, as shown in fig. 4, whereby thevface of the cant is prevented from being marred by the saw, which, from the same reason, cannot be dulled by having thecorner-edges 'ofits teeth come in contact with the face of the cant in gigging back.

To prevent too rapid wear, the faces of the inclined planes may be chilled, if desired.

C are guide-rods, extending across the carriage,from the front to the back sill, under the head-block.

Goiled on the front end of each rod is a spiral spring,

C', which serves to arrest the forward impulse of the head-block in setting up, whcn the cant is nearly sawed up, and has become light. rlhis tendency to throw forwardis especially noticeable when the set is automatic.

c are ordinary hookdogs, attached to the head-block, to secure the log while being slabbed.

In the present invention, a continuous headblock is shown, which is more especially designed for use in sawing up cants, and the smallerclass of logs. Where large logs are to bc sawed, the head-blocks are not connected by a vertical face-plate, as shown, but are placed at either end of the carriage.

D is a continuous head-block, extending at least the length of the carriage, its face forming a vertical guide, against which the inner face of the cant is secured.

It is provided, at it lowei` edge, with several stationary dogs, d, on which the lower edge of the cant E falls, and by them is held firmly against the head-block.

F are dog-guides, recessed in the face of the headblock, in which freely play heavy vertical dogs Gr, each having a lug, g, projecting through an opening in the back of the recess.`

The upper outward-projecting ends of these dogs are serrated, as shown in fig. 1, and when allowed to fall, the weight of the dogs forces them into the upper edge of the cant, and securely holds the same snug against the head-block.

Journalled in the standards H, on the inner side of the head-block, is a rock-sl1aft,l,c`arrying the pinions I.

At one or both ends of the rock-shaft are secured mitre-gears J, with which mesh similar gears, J', actuated by a lever, K, for the purpose of partially rotating the rock-shaft. l

In the back part of each guide F is placed a vertically-sliding rack, h, having an offset or lug, which projectsv under the lug on the back of the dog G.

The pinions l engage with the racks h, so that when the shaft I is partially rotated, the racks will rise, and carry 'up the dogs-with them. When the lever K is allowed to drop, the racks descend, and with them the dogs, whose serrated ends engage with the upper edge of the cant, which, in the mean time, is brought up against the face of the head-block. n

As the dogs are not in any manner attachedtothe racks, but are independent of theml and of each other, each will drop, until it brings up in thev cant, which may be tapering, or have a knot in its upper edge, and still be .securely held.

Journalled in the transverse sills L, projecting from the back of the carriage, is a set-shaft, M, carrying the set-pinions N, which engage .with toothed racks on the under sides of the set-arms O of the head-blocks, through which the head-block receives its transverse motion. v

Secured to the set-shaft M is a ratchet, P; and sleeved 'on the shaft, so as to embrace said ratchet, is a ratchet-lever, P', with which the setting forward of the head-block is e'ected, either by hand or by the pendent lever being moved out by a cam, so arranged as to be adjusted to move the lever, at each passage of the carriage, to throw the head-block forward the reqnisite distance to cut any desired thickness of lumber, allowing for the kerf.

The head-block is moved back from the saw by means of a hand-wheel, M', at the end of the setf shaft. Y

Q is a dial or change-wheel, securedl to the set-shaft, and perforated on its periphery with six parallel lilies of pin-holes, into any of which a pin may be inserted through corresponding holes in a gauge-plate, q, over the dial, which gauge-plate is secured to the side of the carriage, so that one of the six different thicknesses of merchantable lumber may be cut, by moving the head-block toward the saw, eitherv by hand or automatcally, the distance it will be allowed to travel, while the dial is moved a distance on its periphery,

from one hole to the next in the same row.

Merchantable lumber is manufactured in the followcasse ing thicknesses: One inch, one and one-sixteenth, one and one-eighth, one and one-fourth, one and one-half, and two inches; con'sequentlygthe feed-pinionN must be of such a diameter, at its pitch-line, that it will space otl the thicknesses of lumber required,`plus the thickness of .saw-keit', and' come out even on the last cut,=neither making the last board too thick nor too thin, not only for boards of one thickness, but for all thicknesses of merchantable lumber. v

The size of the dial need not be taken into consideration, providedthat the pin-holes of vcach row be drilled at equal distances apart, although the larger the dial-wheel is, the greater will be the accuracy of the pinion in setting. Therefore, the dial-wheel should be drilled a row of seven holes for two-inch lumber, nine holes for one and one-half-incl.` lumber, ten holes for one and one-fourth-inch lumber, eleven holes for one and one-eighth-inch lumber, twelve holes for one and one-siXteenth-inch lumber, and thirteen holes for oneinch lumber, when a feed-pinion, of about four and three-quarter inches diameter at the pitch-line, is employed, and for the other sizes in the same proportion, for spacing 01T the various thicknesses of mei'chantable lumber, adding, in all cases, the thickness of the sawkerf.

Vhen one side of a log is slabbed, andl canted against the head-block, and it is desired to saw the cant into, say, two-inch plank, the gauge-pin is dropped into the two-inch hole in the gauge-plate, when the head-block is drawn nearly far enough back to slab the outside of the cant, when, by moving back the headblock a little more, the pin is caused to enter a hole iu the two-inch row on the dial-wheel, when the cant will be found inthe right position to cut up into twoinch plank, allowing for the kerf'at each cut; and when the cant is sawed up, the last plank will be found to be two inches thick, and so with the other thicknesses.

What I'claim as my invention, and desire to secure byLetters Patent. is-- 1. The head-block '1), constructed substantially as herein described, and'provided at its lower edge with stationary dogs d, as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The dogs G, recessed in the vertical guides F in the face of the head-block, which dogs engage, of their own weight, with a cant, as herein specified.

3. In combination with the dogs G, the racks h, operated by pinions I', gears J J and lever K, or other suitable mechanism for raising said racks, substantially as described.

4. The employment of the springs C', on the logside of the carriage, to arrest the throw of the headblock, when the cant has become light.

, 5. lhe inclined-plane bearings b, on the back side of the saw-carriage, in which play the journals of the traction-wheels a', so that while feeding up to cut, the carriage shall stand level, and in gigging back, the back side will drop, causing the log-side of the carriage to diverge from the s aw, as and for the purpose set forth. v f

6. The dial-wheel Q, perforated on its periphery with pin-holes, in parallel rows, the holes of each row being placed at equal distances from each other, in combination with a feed-pinion, N, of such diameter at 'its pitch-line as will accurately space off the various thicknesses of merchantable lumber, and come out even on the. last cut of the cant, substantially as described.

XVM. M. FERRY.

Witnesses:

H. F. Enn'rs, J As. I. DAL 

